Investigation of CCHF virus in ticks with molecular methods in kutahya province

Ticks are obligatory blood-sucking ectoparasites and known as the vectors of many deadly diseases. CCHF virus is one of the most important vectors of this disease and belong to the family of Bunyaviridae is located under the Nairovirus genus. In our study, as a result of field studies, the total of 228 mature ticks were collected from farm animals in the region of Kütahya and the identifications of these species were made in the laboratory. A total of six species were identified as Hyalomma marginatum, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus turanicus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus. 88 pools were formed accordance with these species and genders. Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and nested PCR molecular methods were used in order to identifiy these viruses and to determine the sequence of the S segment of the virus from this pool. The presence of CCHF virus detected in 10 pools, and only determined in H. marginatum species. As a result of the phylogenetic analysis of the positive isolates, it is determined that CCHF viruses isolated in this study have the same clusters with the strains predetermined in Southwestern Russia, Kosovo and Turkey. Keywords: Ticks, CCHF virus, Nested-RT-PCR, S segment, Kutahya.